


An Emptiness

by WeirdlySweet (orphan_account)



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: How do these tag things work jesus, It was a secret santa, Just a little bit not much, M/M, Mild Language, joelay - Freeform, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-30
Updated: 2015-03-30
Packaged: 2018-03-20 09:52:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3645867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/WeirdlySweet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For a while now, Ray has been feeling under the weather. A hole has opened in him that seems to be getting bigger the more he’s by himself. But a man enters his life and changes that in a moment of disarray.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Emptiness

Ray had been by himself for a while.

Not that it meant he was completely by himself. He wasn't exactly alone. He had his coworkers from Gamestop and a couple friends that he could hang out with on the weekends. Gavin, being one of them, of whom he had known since elementary school. He was a British idiot but still had a soft heart, and with their 'superhero duos', their friendship wasn't about to end anytime soon. Michael, a guy he had known since high school, had a temper but he still cared even when he was angry. Sometimes all three of them would catch a movie or go to dinner, and Ray enjoyed the time they spent.

But even he had to admit that sometimes when he was sitting in his apartment by himself, there was a gap in his chest that ached sometimes. When it first started, he was able to ignore it. He continued on with his day and often played video games as a distraction. But lately, it was starting to eat him away.

He knew that asking Dan to hang out all the freaking time would annoy him, and Gavin and Michael had their own jobs and lives. It got to a point where Ray realized: Wow...I really am by myself, aren't I?

On an upcoming Friday, Ray called up Michael and Gavin and asked the two if they wanted to go to the theater together. Of course, they agreed, picking one that apparently sucked according to reviews.

"It'll be for a good laugh." Ray said, strengthening the idea and the plan.

But when Friday did come up, Ray found himself alone in front of the theater. It didn't stop him from waiting, assuming that they were running late. But when it came down to the movie starting in only a couple of minutes, he couldn't help but pull out his phone and call them.

"Hey, where are you guys?"

"Sorry, Ray. Gavin got caught up in something." Michael said on the other line, his tone caught between aggravation and concern.

"Is he all right?"

"Yeah, it's just about work. He'll be fine. We can't make it though."

Ray felt like he had been punched in the stomach when Michael said this, feeling the hole in his chest grow a little bigger.

"Wanna meet up some other time?"

"No... I mean, it's okay. Don't worry about it, man. That's cool." Ray lied through his teeth, but he wasn't about to have Michael be concerned over him either. Gavin was a handful already, no matter what issues he was dealing with. Ray was just another person. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he ended the call and put his phone away. With that, he started off back to his apartment. Once inside, a couple of tears left him, but other than that he wouldn't allow himself to cry over something like this.  
-  
On Monday after work, Ray made his way back home in an uneasy silence. Dan offered to give him a ride to his apartment, but he turned it down.

"I'd rather walk, man. It can clear my head a little."

Halfway through the walk, Ray felt like the hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. Most days, he was able to ignore it. But for some reason, the sensation only grew and wouldn't leave him. He only got his answer later to why he was so nervous.

Someone grabbed him by his arm, pulling him into an alley behind a dumpster and pinning him back against the wall using his shoulders. The sudden impact almost crushed him, as well as the strength of the person holding him back. He struggled, glaring up at whoever the fuck was pinning him.

The man wasn't alone, for two friends joined beside him. Great... Outnumbered and overpowered. He was screwed.

"Let's make this easy." The man holding Ray back said, his grip tightening. Ray had to bite on his tongue to hold back down whimper of pain that threatened to escape him. "We'll take the money from your wallet, and you won't go to the cops and cry like a bitch about it. How does that sound?"

Ray wasn't exactly in the perfect financial situation to get mugged, barely able to afford food on top of rent. And he wasn't going to let these guys get away with something like a mugging. "Like hell you are," he said, almost surprised by the growl that left him.

And another part of him regretted the growl. The gang heard it, and their only response was a punch to Ray's gut. All the air was knocked out of him, and he let out a strangled gasp to get it back. There was another punch that followed, knocking his glasses off in the process. Which would explain the sudden sting on the right side of his face. Expecting another punch, Ray only became confused when he heard it and didn't feel it.

-

"Hey...you okay?"

Everything was blurry, and in slow motion. It took Ray a moment to figure out what was going on around him. Someone had a hold on his arm. The grip was light and barely even there. Kind of like air. He blinked a couple of times, trying to clear the fuzz he was seeing. It took a moment to click to him that the fuzziness was because he wasn't wearing his glasses.

"Here. I think you dropped these."

Taking a chance of blind fate, literally, Ray cleaned a spec off one of the frames before putting them back on. He hesitated when he saw who was there. It was a male, who looked roughly his age (but then looks were deceiving). He had black hair, sticking up at all angles in the front, and a gaze that almost made Ray lose his breath again.

"You okay?" the man asked again, his expression somber despite the condition Ray was in. Ray found it was hard to tell what this guy was thinking. And in any other situation, he would have tried to avoid people like that.

"Ye-" Ray stopped, a cough leaving him, as he tried to get air back into his lungs. "Yeah...I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You look like shit."

Surprisingly, this comment managed a dry laugh out of Ray. "You sound like my friend." In an attempt to sit up, however, he only realized just how much of a beating he had taken.

"Let me help you," the man said, taking his arm and bringing him up to his feet. Ray staggered, taking a moment to gain his balance as he let himself be led out of the alley. It was difficult to walk, let alone breathe, but after a while Ray managed.  
-  
The man led Ray to an apartment complex, unlocking the door and helping him inside. While Ray sat down on the couch, the man went around the room to turn the lights on. There was a sudden, and strange, comfort as the darkness of night began to fade.

Returning with a bowl of steaming water and a washcloth, he sat down next to Ray again. "This might sting a little." He said, wringing the water out until it was damp and placing it against Ray's forehead.

The sudden jolt of pain practically made him flinch in response, and the man retracted his hand out of reflex. "Sorry..."

"Nah...it's okay. It's just..." Ray paused, placing his knuckle near his hairline and glanced down at the back of his hand. He hadn't realized he was bleeding.

"What did those guys want from you exactly?" the man asked, returning to cleaning around the head-wound, being extra careful as he worked.

"Money, of course. Just your casual mugging," Ray said, trying to make a joke but not having the spirit to do so.

"And you didn't give it to them. Which led to this."

"Yup...pretty much."

Silence followed after, which caused Ray to glance over at the stranger. Again, his expression was somber, but the glint in his eyes changed. He only remained still, before dipping the cloth back into the water. When Ray noticed the pinkish tint of the liquid in the bowl, he felt his stomach begin to ache again.

Remembering that he was in a stranger's house triggered a question he didn't bother to hold back.

"Who're you?" Ray asked.

"Joel. Joel Heyman."

Joel... "I'm Ray. Ray Narvaez Junior."

Ray wasn't sure if the faint smile on Joel's lips was because of his name, or for another reason. "Wish we could have met in better circumstances, Ray."

That sentence alone made the empty space in Ray's chest vanish, and a warmth spread through him. Pausing to swallow, he smiled lightly and nodded. "Same."

-

Meeting Joel had left a fuzzy feeling in Ray's chest. Not that this was a bad thing, if anything it was almost like a comfort to him. Especially when he was by himself, it wasn't as empty anymore. A space had been filled.

Yet Ray couldn't shake the urge to visit the dark-haired male again. It didn't help either that he knew where he lived, but at the same time Ray didn't want to impose on him. Being a bother to someone who saved his life was the last thing he wanted to do. But to see Joel again was the one thing that Ray needed to do.

Before he could stop himself, he had arrived at Joel's apartment with his hands tucked into the pockets of his hoodie. Sucking in a deep breath, Ray knocked on the door and waited in silence. When the door opened, Ray grew a touch still.

"Ray?" Joel asked, blinking in surprise at seeing the young man at his doorstop. "What are you doing here?"

Ray's cheeks tinted at this, trying to think up of an excuse on the spot, something he should have done on the walk there but hadn't. "I...never thanked you for helping me out in the alley."

A soft chuckle left Joel at this, which softened Ray even more and made the empty space even smaller. "No, you never did. And in that case, you're welcome, I guess."

A smile meeting his features, Ray lowered his gaze. "I was wondering if you wanted to go someplace to eat with me. I'll pay."

The offer caught Joel off-guard for a moment, but he shook his head in response. "Too expensive. Come inside, I'll cook for you."

"Whoa, wait, you will?"

"As long as it's not a cake, sure thing."

Ray couldn't help but laugh at this last part. "Don't worry about making me a cake. I always go cakeless."

And before he could stop himself, Joel was smiling too.

**Author's Note:**

> I was one of the many little helpful elves during RageHappy's secret santa! :D  
> This was intended to be much longer than it turned out, but some very personal happened to me at the time and my writing time was cut in half. Hopefully, and maybe, I'll get to it this christmas and redo it. Make it longer and better.


End file.
